Split sockets and wrenches for use therewith



Nov. 14, 1961 E. E. cooK 3,008,363

SPLIT SOCKETS AND WRENCHES FOR USE THEREWITH Filed Jan. 18, 1960 w 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2| 22 2la as j ERNEST E. COOK mmvrox Nov. 14, 1961 E. E. cooK 3,008,363

SPLIT SOCKETS AND WRENCHES FOR USE THEREWITH Filed Jan. 18, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ERNEST E. 000K uwmrox United States Patent 3,008,363 SPLIT SOCKETS AND WRENCHES FOR USE THEREWITH Ernest E. Cook, Rte. 4, Box 234, Port Orchard, Wash. Filed Jan. 18, 1960, Ser. No. 3,119 2 Claims. (Cl. 81-121) This present invention relates to the general art of socket wrenches and more particularly to a socket that is made in two coacting halves which are held together, on a nut to be worked, by a special wrench which engages the split socket so as to hold it in a true circle and to then provide peripheral engagement means so that the socket can be manually driven to loosen or tighten a nut, particularly on a long bolt or rod.

In many mechanical operations it is necessary to turn nuts that are threaded onto long bolts or rods and which preclude the use of the usual socket wrench. In some instances the rods on which the bolts are threaded may have their ends so secured that it is impossible to slip the conventional open bore sockets along the rods to engage the nuts that are difiicult or even impossible to engage by any form of open end wrench. There are other circumstances where the bolt to which the nut is threaded may have an end that stands up above the'nut for a distance, making it impossible for the socket to be placed down low enough to operatively engage the nut. There are many times when it is very desirable to engage a finished nut on a piece of machinery with a socket that engages all the various flats of the nut equally to the end that considerable working of the nut can be achieved without in any way marring the finish or the corners of the nut. For this reason it is very desirable to be able to employ a socket wrench. My present socket and the wrenches I have provided for use therewith are such that a socket may be used that operates as the conventional socket operates and which has all the good features of the conventional socket but still can be actually physically put in the operative position and then engaged by a suitable wrench so that the nut can be turned on its threaded bolt or rod. L

A principal object of my invention therefore isto I provide a new form of socket which is split into two parts along a diameter so that the two parts of the socket may be individually placed around the nut without in any way having any interference with the long bolt or rod to which the nut maybe threadedly secured.

A further object of my invention is to provide peripheral engaging means so that the socket can be rotated as is required in turning a threaded nut.

A further object is to provide means for so enclosing A further object of my present invention is to provide key means on the surfaces where my two half socket members engage which insures that there will be no endwise displacement of the half socket members when the same are properly put in place on a nut.

Further objects, advantages and capabilities will be apparent from the description and disclosure in the drawings, or may be comprehended or are inherent in the device.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating a preferred form of my socket.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross sectional view of one socket and further illustrating one form of wrench used therewith taken as along the line 22 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view illustrating one form of wrench adaptable for use with my improved socket.

3,008,363 Patented Nov. 14, 1961 FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view partly in section illustrating the head of the wrench as shown in FIGURE 3 and showing the manner in which it engages my socket. In dashed lines certain parts are shown in the position wherein the head of the wrench is opened for engagement with a nut of difiicult access.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of a form of ratchet wrench suitable for use with my sockets.

FIGURE 6 illustrates the reverse side of the wrench head shown in FIGURE 5 and shows certain of the parts broken away to better illustrate the internal construction thereof.

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of the socket similar to that shown in FIGURE 1 except that the same is shown in a difierent sense and partly broken away in section to more clearly illustrate the structure.

FIGURE 8 is a cross sectional view taken along the broken line 8-8 of FIGURE 5.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference charactersindicate like parts, thenumerals 10 and 12 designate the two coacting members which when joined together form my complete socket 13. Each half of the socket as 10 and 12 is semicyclindrical in form inthat the division line 14 must 'be an actual'diameter if the socket is to be placed in two separate parts around a rod for instance. Endwise alignment of members 10 and 12 is provided for by the key member 16 and the corresponding key-way portion 18. A preferred arrangement is to employ two ofthese units, one on each side of the socket.

The interior of my socket is constructed similarly to the usual socket and may, as illustrated, have a hexagonal wall surface as indicated at 20 or this may take on any other conformation common to the type of sockets normally employed. This might conceivably be four sided, eight sided or twelve sided and of course would be made'to fit various nut sizes.

Referring particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings it will be noted that theupper end of the socket is closed by the transverse wall portions 21 and 21a except for opening 22. This opening should be sufiiciently large so that it will admit the largest bolt or rod that would It will be carry a nut the socketcould be made to fit. apparent it is believed that my socket will admit of as small an outside dimension as possible for a given'socket size. The turning effort of the socket is applied by detents as 24 and 25 which are'secured to the'interior base of the wrench used; These detents'are' adapted to fit into openings 28 'formed in the vertical wall portion of the socket.

In FIGURE 2,'it will be noted that openings 28 do not go entirely through the wall, a desirable feature where maximum protection is required for the nuts tobe engaged. For many uses, however, openings 28 maybe drilled clear through the wall as this is a somewhat cheaper machining operation. I

Detents 24,26 may be mounted in various types of wrenches.-' The simplest type'of nonratchet type wrench is shown in-FIGURES 3 and 4 while a' ratchet type is illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6. It is desirable to point out that the exact form of ratchet forms no part of this present invention as ratchet wrenches of this general type have been made for many years. It is essential for the satisfactory operation of my socket that the two half members 10 and 12 be held in firm engagement with each other, consequently it is important that the nut engaging portion 20 will form an exact fit with the nuts which they are intended to engage.

In the form shown in FIGURE 3 a substantial handle 32 is provided and at one enda semi-cylindrical socket engaging member 34 is provided. This should be of sub stantial construction so that detent 24 will be securely positioned and when engaged in opening 28 will be able t the run thrust that can be placed upon handle 32. The outer end of clamp member terminates in a rolled back hinge portion 36 providing an enclosure 'for the hinge pin 38. Hingedly secured, by hingepin-38 to clamp member '34, 'is the niovab'lelclamp member 40. This rfieniber is also mended with .a driving 'detent '24 and has, extending generally parallel to handle 32, the

4 provides an excellent wrench for use where the bolt extends up through the nut enough so that it is impossible to use the standard socket; There are rnany such occasion's whichthis form of wrench can serve. H Normally in use the two half members It) and will be engaged around the out with the upwardly extending 7 bolt portion orrod passing througlh hole -22. {Thetwo olainp' members 34 and 411 can then be secured around the socketwhen it is'in: place. Thusthe socket can be efiect ively used even'on long rods where'neither end is available .for passing a single piece socket down the rod onto the nut.

Referring antennas 5 and -6 a handles2 is proengaged which permits the movable clamp member 70 to be swung into the closed position, as shown in FIGURE 5., thus fully enclosing the ratchet wrench portion and securing the socket in operating position. With the two assemblies, the socket and ratchet Wheel, disposed on a rod, for instance; they can be passed along the rod until they operatively engage'the nut threaded thereto.

It is believed that it will be clearly apparent from the above description and the disclosure in'the drawings that the invention comprehends a novel construction of split sockets and wrenches for use therewith. j v

Having thus disclosed the inv entionrI claim:

I 1. A longitudinally split socket and a wrench for use therewith, comprising: two coacting socket members adapted to be joined together 'to form a nut turning socket; eachof said members being semicylindrical in exterior-form and being one half ofa socket; keying means provided on each or said socket members to assure endwise alignment of said members; each of said members havinga multifaced interior surface; generally concave, adapted 'to form one half of a nut engaging socket; said socket members having a transverse wall, formed one half on each member,- and provided with an axially disposed opening of a diameter larger than the bolt size corresponding to thenut size of the socket; radially disposed openings in the cylindrical all of each member adapted to opel a tively engagerdriving means secured to a driving wrench; adriving wrench having a "handle-and vided which has fixedly secured to itthearcuate portion 64 and onthe opposite side of the handle the arcuate porltion 66. These two portions form one half of the circum ference. movable clamp member) is employed :which is -Tpivotably secured byhingepin 72'tothe arcuate portion 66. wili be noted in FIGURES S and 6 alignable lugs are provided a]; 74 so'that asorew type locking pin may be provided at 7 6 to hold thearcuate portion 64 and 66 and the movable clamp portion 70 inpl-ace to form a cylindrical gat for the ratchet wheel members 80 and 82. In FIGURE oone form of ratchet wheel is shown which is provided with saw-tooth type teeth.

These arezparticularly adapted to coact with -a-two, posi tifon .p'awl member 84 which is pivotabiy mounted at 86 and is further provided with a lug 88. engaged on one 'gr t-he'ot her'side of the-spring pressed bail detent 90. Each ot these members has an inwardly extending detent similar to tlre detents-24 and 26 which arefind-icated at 24a and Each-of the-members 80 and '82 are ,provided with an outwardly extending semi cyl-indrical centeringrirn 92 and :93 adapted to be rotatively engaged by l the clamp-member 70and the arcuate members secured to 'handleffil This provides for the enactv centering of the ratehet'wheel, asa unit, coaxially with the cylindrical opening provided at 94. V 1

' The form of-soc-ket holder shown; in FIGURES} and 6 has all the virtues of the form shown in FIGURE 3 :in addition to providing a two way ratchet controlled by the external lever 96. In operation the two halves of the socket are engaged as before. It isthen necessary to engage the two halves {wand 82 of the ratchet wheel. Next the fixed portions 64 and -66 of thewrenc'h' are a seniiicylindrical socket engaging member fixedly secured atone end of said handle and with its axisat right angles to saidhandle; a semicylindrical'movable clamp member hingedly secured at one end to said socket engaging member and means for securing the opposite end adjacent said handle to complete acylindrical seat for the two socket meniberspsaid seat adapted-t0 secure the socket members in fixed relationship to each 'otberand to saidvhand-le, and socket driving means secured in said seat and disposed to operativelyengage said radially disposed openings in the cylindrical wall of the socket members. 5 a

v -2. The subject inatter of olairn lin whichsaid movable clamp member is provided with a bifurcated lug disposed; substantially parallel to. said handle when the clamp member is in'it's closed position; a boltpivotably secured to said handle and disposed to swing in the same plane as said clampmember and into the bifurcation in s'aidlu'g and nut means "for securing the free end of said clamp meinber to complete said cylindrical socket seat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES "PATENTS 493,273 Killinger -Mar. 14, 1-893 1 131425 27 Ligon -r Aug. 3-1., 1915 1, 35,931 Ghampion Jul y 1927 $669,329 Fleming -Feb. 28, 1928 2,522,428 Brunstad Sept.'12,-19'50 :2,5 3 6 ,172 Halperin-n; -a- Jan. 2, 1951 Goldwater J- Aug. '14, 1956 2,774,259 can-inseam.- .V Dec. l8, 1956 :2;8Ol,5 6:1 I 1957 2,898,793 r 1959 my r. 

